When technology was still a topic in sales brochures
08/05/2018
In the past, and you don't have to go back too far, technology was still an important topic in car sales brochures. Shown here are excerpts from the brochure for the VW Golf GTI 16V from 1987, just 31 years ago.
If you compare the brochure with that of the modern GTI, which is 30 years younger, you will immediately notice that there are no longer any illustrations of suspensions, drivetrains or engines in the modern version. Instead, the various assistance systems, which did not even exist in 1987, are explained and invisible computer technology is visualized, so to speak.
Thirty years ago, it was the mechanics that differentiated the manufacturers from one another, today it is almost exclusively the electronics and software. Apart from the design, of course.
There is also something to be said about the colors in comparison. In 1987, there were nine colors to choose from for the GTI 16V; interestingly, white was not one of them, but black and red were. In addition to Atlas Grey Métallic and Diamond Silver, there was also Titian Red, Jade Green, Stratosl Blue, Racing Green or Monza Blue as metallic paints. In the modern palette of 10 colors for the GTI (210 PS), real colors are only represented four times (Tornado Red, Dark Iron Blue, Atlantic Blue, Black Ruby), while the remaining colors are white/grey or black tones. So at least the GTI was able to retain some color, the names for which have changed to "New German" in keeping with modern times.
We have of course included the VW Golf 16V brochure in our Golf GTI Mk II driving report , which was published back in 2017. The brochure for the modern GTI is available from Volkswagen.
